It is the morning of the last test flight before the first joint NASA-NOAA mission to map melting ice caps, and “Miss Piggy” is being difficult.

Sitting on the flightline just outside Hangar 5 at MacDill Air Force Base, the venerable Orion P-3, refurbished three years ago, is oozing some hydraulic fluid. And just before the first take-off attempt, the No. 2 engine has to be shut down because of a stuck valve.

“Miss Piggy,” famous for flying into hurricanes to gather information about storm tracks, now is being pressed into service for NASA because of what can only be described as a perfect storm.

For the complete story by Howard Altman of The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune, click here.